Then, there was Wilson's habit in practice of double-checking every play call with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell before he ducked back into the huddle.

"He did it so regularly, it seemed to be like he wasn't really getting the flow of the call and it was taking a little bit extra time," Carroll said. "I said, 'Russ, do you realize that you're always asking for a clarification on the call. Do you really need that?' He goes, 'No.' I said, 'Well, it's kind of hindering the fluid process.' He said, 'OK.' And it never happened again.

"The next four or five days we watched him, just to see if he could do it. Didn't happen. So now if he steps out of the huddle for something, he does it because he might need a clarification, he might be correcting a coach, or whatever. The point is, he can fix whatever he needs to fix. That's an extraordinary characteristic for a young guy."

Then, there was Wilson's habit in practice of double-checking every play call with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell before he ducked back into the huddle.

"He did it so regularly, it seemed to be like he wasn't really getting the flow of the call and it was taking a little bit extra time," Carroll said. "I said, 'Russ, do you realize that you're always asking for a clarification on the call. Do you really need that?' He goes, 'No.' I said, 'Well, it's kind of hindering the fluid process.' He said, 'OK.' And it never happened again.

"The next four or five days we watched him, just to see if he could do it. Didn't happen. So now if he steps out of the huddle for something, he does it because he might need a clarification, he might be correcting a coach, or whatever. The point is, he can fix whatever he needs to fix. That's an extraordinary characteristic for a young guy."

I find this interesting, especially since he was a rookie.

To Be P/C or Not P/C That is the Question..........Seahawks kick Ass !!!! Check your PM's, Thank you for everything Radish RIP My Friend. Member of the 38 club.

Wilson is very special. You think about how rare Tom Brady is, Russell Wilson is even moreso because of all the tools and extremely strong intangibles he possesses. You might not find another QB who compares or exceeds Wilson for a long time, at any pick, much less in the middle rounds.

That said, there are a few QBs that I think are worthy of Wilson comparisons. I know this isn't the draft forum, but the question was brought up. Here are some names I'd drop:

Johnny Manziel: Elite intangibles, plays at a very fast speed mentally and at a high level in general, plus his mobility is even more Fran Tarkenton than Wilson's (though Wilson is faster and on the whole I prefer his style of mobility). Manziel is a short QB, too. Just 6'0". He'll enter the draft in 2014, 2015, or 2016.

Jordan Lynch: Outstanding arm talent, he has Wilson type accuracy, and has Colin Kaepernick mobility and toughness. Natural QB, not just a stellar athlete. Strong intangibles too. Also a short QB. Just 6'0". He'll enter the draft in 2014.

BJ Daniels: Not overly comparable to Wilson, but he has the same height and build as Wilson and has similar mobility, arm talent, touch, and accuracy. A playmaker. Not as developed as a QB, but still, he's an exciting project. He'll be available late in the 2013 draft. 5'11" tall. He is just one of two QBs Seattle has met with this year.

Matt Scott: Nowhere near Wilson's level mentally or in terms of intangibles, but he's got elite level short area mobility and has a rifle arm. When he's on, he's deadly. Even when he's off, he's typically moving the chains. Like Wilson he seems most natural when allowed to scramble and improvise. Fast learner. Will probably go in rounds 2-4 in the 2013 draft. Scott is the other QB that Seattle has met with in 2013.

Ryan Aplin: Small school QB with outstanding numbers, great mobility and a strong, accurate arm. Looks like a complete natural in a point guard role at quarterback. Likely UDFA in 2013.

Ryan Katz: He's got some issues and seems to be a likely NFL flameout, but he's good for a few plays a game that make you double take because you think you're watching Russell Wilson. Likely UDFA in 2013.

Last edited by kearly on Sat Apr 20, 2013 5:08 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Thing is, Russell showed that ability to extinguish a bad habit before our very eyes, in a short time frame, all season long.

The early talk was about his passer rating on the road. I think the next game (Detroit maybe?) he was much better.

There was the issue with him escaping the pocket and not looking downfield that Pete mentioned in a presser. Next week, you could see a significant difference in the way Wilson behaved after breaking the pocket.

That's...just flabbergasting. Look, think of guys like even Hasselbeck (whom I love), hell every now and then I'd see him revert to happy feet even when he was at his pro-bowl best. The ability that Russel shows to lock a bad tendency down and then throw away the key is just startling. Shit we waited all year for Tjack to find a secondary receiver, and we've watched entire QB careers waiting for them to break a bad habit and never seen it. Wilson makes it look routine. Like all he needs is to be told something once and he's locked it in.

That HAS to be him killing himself all week to eliminate tendencies like that, and really being just a bit short of obsessed with correcting it. Because it doesn't happen by accident.

So symbolic is Wilson that he will appear in and voice the open for ESPN's coverage of the first round Thursday night, a round in which the Seahawks don't have a pick. He's the embodiment of the best-case scenario.

Hell yeah!

"You can hurry up all you want. But if you can't get yards and can't complete passes, then it's just quick three-and-outs." -- Richard Sherman

hawksfansinceday1 wrote:Russ has the deep seated, incredible hunger to win and be the best. The only guy I've seen in any sport with that same burning desire is Michael Jordan. God this is gonna be a great ride!!

We're extremely lucky I must say. The sports gods are making up for giving us the Seattle Mariners, 0-12 Washington Huskies, taking the Sonics away, and Super Bowl XL.

hawksfansinceday1 wrote:Russ has the deep seated, incredible hunger to win and be the best. The only guy I've seen in any sport with that same burning desire is Michael Jordan. God this is gonna be a great ride!!

We're extremely lucky I must say. The sports gods are making up for giving us the Seattle Mariners, 0-12 Washington Huskies, taking the Sonics away, and Super Bowl XL.

All is forgiven as far as Im concerned.

*XL will never be forgiven for me, but once we get a SB win it will sting a LOT less.

Manziel...aka Johnny Football....it should be illegal to even use him in the same sentence as Russell Wilson.Manziel is talented, ill give him that. But he is a product of having the best line in the NCAA open HUGE holes that he can get a 1st down almost anytime he thought about running. Gave him all day to throw. When actually challenged, Manziel crumbled. LSU toyed with him and picked him off 5 times in one game when they gave him some real competition. and he has 0 character. Look at how much controversy his already got in the offseason. Constantly partying and underage drinking. I know he's a college kid. But that is not someone cut out to come close to being the leader Wilson is.

hawksfansinceday1 wrote:Russ has the deep seated, incredible hunger to win and be the best. The only guy I've seen in any sport with that same burning desire is Michael Jordan. God this is gonna be a great ride!!

We're extremely lucky I must say. The sports gods are making up for giving us the Seattle Mariners, 0-12 Washington Huskies, taking the Sonics away, and Super Bowl XL.

All is forgiven as far as Im concerned.

*XL will never be forgiven for me, but once we get a SB win it will sting a LOT less.

Exactly.

"You can hurry up all you want. But if you can't get yards and can't complete passes, then it's just quick three-and-outs." -- Richard Sherman

hawksfansinceday1 wrote:Russ has the deep seated, incredible hunger to win and be the best. The only guy I've seen in any sport with that same burning desire is Michael Jordan. God this is gonna be a great ride!!

We're extremely lucky I must say. The sports gods are making up for giving us the Seattle Mariners, 0-12 Washington Huskies, taking the Sonics away, and Super Bowl XL.

All is forgiven as far as Im concerned.

*XL will never be forgiven for me, but once we get a SB win it will sting a LOT less.

The closest I've seen to Russell Wilson in style of play is Marcus Mariota of Oregon (JSeahawks might be able to chip-in here). He is 6-3/6-4, and not nearly as refined as Wilson is at this point at checking reads, etc., but he was only a RFr. last year (same as Manziel). Both Mariota and Wilson show very nice touch and are highly creative and elusive WITHIN the pocket; both have nice high releases. Like Wilson, I read an article that suggested that Mariota learned the ENTIRE Oregon playbook within a week. Kearly, I know you are already familiar with him, but if you are adding Manziel, who will assuredly be a high pick despite his height, you might also dive into Mariota as well- plenty of games and highlights online. I definitely value your insight there. Thanks!

Is there another veiled type A workaholic who has the intelligence to take coaching nearly instantly and the interior calm to always be in the moment when others are ready to panic? It isn't bloody likely.

The QB profile Wilson compares to is a mix of Fran Tarkenton and Drew Brees. There were two of those guys in the 40 years that preceded Wilson. Looking for his work ethic in a college prospect is hard enough before adding the rest of his qualities. Most of these aspiring QBs had some native ability that was enhanced in college by coaching and as they got closer to their NFL dream, some QB guru or ex-NFLer gave them some guidance on what it takes. The work isn't instinctive, it isn't 2nd nature.

Way too many of these college guys are described as leaders. Most of them should be described as annointed instead. Guys like Glennon and Bray who are used to being listened to because they have always been the QB, the guy the coach picked. That isn't leadership. Guys who get recruited and then wait their turn to start even though their talents are obvious aren't leaders.

The more I watch Wilson, the more I realize being overlooked has been a key component of his makeup. At every level his leadership has been based on winning his job on the team first. Wisconsin would seem on the surface to be the exception, he went there appearing to have the job from day one, but listen to interviews with coach B about when he first met Wilson and you realize he had to do the same thing there too.

Right now, you can probably list 4 guys in the NFL who have Wilson's leader skills. They are rare. We are lucky.

If there's one guy with similar (but not even close) intangibles its EJ Manuel, IMO. He'll cause a team to reach in this post-Wilson era. OUr resident draftperts dont like him, I kind of do, so who knows if he'll be any good. BUt, he's the one guy I can see benefiting from this new craze.

pehawk wrote:If there's one guy with similar (but not even close) intangibles its EJ Manuel, IMO. He'll cause a team to reach in this post-Wilson era. OUr resident draftperts dont like him, I kind of do, so who knows if he'll be any good. BUt, he's the one guy I can see benefiting from this new craze.

I only heard an interview with EJ but the kid seems very intelligent and articulate. From an intelligence standpoint he seems to have the wherewithall to be pretty good but I've not see him perform on the field. I'll have to youtube some vids of his.

pehawk wrote:If there's one guy with similar (but not even close) intangibles its EJ Manuel, IMO. He'll cause a team to reach in this post-Wilson era. OUr resident draftperts dont like him, I kind of do, so who knows if he'll be any good. BUt, he's the one guy I can see benefiting from this new craze.

Agree with you PE though I'm no expert either so grain of salt and all.

pehawk wrote:If there's one guy with similar (but not even close) intangibles its EJ Manuel, IMO. He'll cause a team to reach in this post-Wilson era. OUr resident draftperts dont like him, I kind of do, so who knows if he'll be any good. BUt, he's the one guy I can see benefiting from this new craze.

I only heard an interview with EJ but the kid seems very intelligent and articulate. From an intelligence standpoint he seems to have the wherewithall to be pretty good but I've not see him perform on the field. I'll have to youtube some vids of his.

might be too early to say but EJ Manuel is IMO going to make a surprise impact early like Wilson